President Bola Tinubu has commended the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for maintaining its World Health Organisation (WHO) Maturity Level 3 (ML3) status in the regulation of medicines and vaccines.
The President’s endorsement follows a WHO re-benchmarking exercise conducted between May 28 and May 30, 2025, which assessed NAFDAC’s operations against internationally recognised regulatory standards.
Nigeria first attained the ML3 rating in 2022, becoming the first non-producing African country to reach the milestone in medicines and vaccine regulation.
WHO conducts periodic reviews to ensure continued compliance.
The latest confirmation came after a formal evaluation in November 2024 and five Institutional Development Plan (IDP) review meetings between February and April 2025 to monitor corrective actions.
In a statement on Monday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga said President Tinubu welcomed the WHO verdict, describing NAFDAC’s regulatory system as “stable, well-functioning, and integrated, a feat he attributed to government investment in strengthening health regulation.
He noted that the achievement by NAFDAC enhances Nigeria’s reputation in global health security and pandemic preparedness.
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This milestone, the president said, aligns with his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda to transform the healthcare system, highlighting ongoing efforts to upgrade over 17,000 primary health centres, improve maternal care, train 120,000 frontline health workers, and expand national health insurance coverage.
The President reiterated his commitment to boosting local healthcare production and pledged continued support for NAFDAC’s push towards WHO Maturity Level 4, the highest global regulatory standard.
(Editor: Okechukwu Eze)
